Regulus Black and Slytherin's Locket
by BlackCat91
Summary: Based off chapter 10, Kreacher's Tale in DH. Regulus gives up everything in order to help bring down the Dark Lord who took something very precious to him. Her. Implied but never shown pairing. RBOC. R&R please.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone but the Heartnet family. Everything else belongs to JKR. Enjoy.**

The footsteps clappered down the stairs and into the kitchen, a wide grin spread across the young mans face. "Kreacher! The Dark Lord has asked me a favor." The boy said as he squatted down towards the house elf that was in the cupboard, "Kreacher, he needs an _elf_. It's an honor, a _great_ honor!" The young man said pushing back his dark black hair.

The elder house elf with great bat like ears looked up at the young man, "Master Regulus has volunteered Kreacher?" The house elf croaked, "Kreacher will do whatever Master Regulus' tells him too. If it is to assist the Dark Lord, Kreacher will do so."

"You must obey the Dark Lord, Kreacher." Regulus warned, standing up, "But you must come home no matter what." The look in the boys eyes showed that although he didn't know what the Dark Lord wished for his house elf to do, he was not sure if he would ever see the elf again, and ordered him to return home. "Go to the Dark Lord now, and assist him in his needs of you, Kreacher, and return home afterwards. You must _return_ home."

"Kreacher will do as he is told." He bowed lowly as there was a small knock on the kitchen wall. The house elf disapparated and Regulus turned to see a fair skinned woman standing in the door way, her black hair falling dead flat, covering one of her unique purple eyes.

"Regulus..." The woman said, her eyes lingering on his as he turned to her fully.

"What's wrong?" Regulus said confused as to why the woman was using the wall for support, "Mirach...?"

"I'm leaving..." She told him, folding her arms tightly over her cloak.

"To where?" Regulus asked her, confusion written on his face. He didn't hide it like he normally would with anyone else.

"I can't tell you." She said as her eyes closed and the dark black hair fell covering both her eyes. "I'm not one hundred percent sure yet, but it's out of the country and away from everything here." She bit her lip as two tears could be seen sliding from her eyes under her hair, and down to the tip of her chin.

"What about your family?" Regulus asked, "How do you think they'll take it?"

"I don't know if they are... They are only spirits now." She let out a small sigh before pushing her hair back over her right eye. "There was only three ways that I can think of to escape this world of darkness with the Dark Lord gallivanting around killing everyone."

"He killed them?" Regulus said suprised. Mirach's parents had been large supporters of Voldemort ever since her older brother had met Voldemort as Tom Riddle in Hogwarts, and joined his followers at the time.

She nodded, "The Dark Lord said that Cepheus was the only reason that he hadn't killed them. Since they accepted Corvus falling in love with a muggle and letting them get married, my family was no longer being tolerated other than Cepheus and myself. The Dark Lord has been waiting for me to join them. Cepheus is dead, along with my parents. Corvus is somewhere in France with _that _muggle." She shifted uncomfortably as she leaned on the door frame. "The Dark Lord had tried to torture me into joining him but I eventually escaped when he turned back to my father..." She pushed her hair out of her right eye showing her eye closed shut with three deep red and black slashing across, running down to half of her cheek.

Regulus took a step back, comprehending everything that was happening, "Mirach..." She let her hair fall back over her eye, "The Dark Lord did that to you?"

She nodded a little before nodding, "I've treated it to where it no longer pains me, but is only a reminded of what has happened."

The other kitchen door opened from the living room and Regulus' parents Walburga and Orion Black walked into the kitchen and looked around. "Mirach, I'm terribly sorry to hear about Rana and Hydrus... Terrible thing that has happened." Orion Black said with a grimace. "You're not still in that house are you?"

"No." Mirach shook her head, it dropping slightly, "I should probably go..." She stepped back onto the step out of the kitchen. Regulus caught her eye for a last glance before she turned and left the dark and grim looking house.

It wasn't until hours later in the night when the House Elf arrived back. Regulus was sitting in the kitchen sipping at his drink when he noticed the house elf squirming on the floor. "Kreacher, what's wrong!?" Regulus said setting his drink down roughly, the contents slopping around and out of the cup as he got down to kneel to the house elf.

"Master Regulus..." Kreacher croaked.

"Kreacher, do you need water?" Regulus asked hurriedly as he pulled his wand out and flicked it, a glass appeared, "_Aguamenti_." He hissed, the cup filling with water. "Drink this, Kreacher. Drink." He ordered, the house elf happily took the cup and drained it, the pain disappearing from the Elf's drooping face. "Kreacher, you are to stay hidden, not to leave the house."

"Right Master Regulus..." The house elf nodded.

"You can sleep, you look as if you need it." Regulus said gently, placing a hand on top of the house elf, "Rest." The house elf nodded and clappered into his cupboard, falling asleep almost instantly. He stood and walked back to the table, picking up his cup, half of its contents escaped onto the table. He flicked his wand and they disappeared. He scowled to himself as he took another sip before putting the cup in the sink, it completely empty.

He turned and left to his room, grabbing his night cloak before walking silently down the flights of stairs, past his parents room and out of the front door. He contemplated on where he was going to go. It was a couple of weeks before the school year started again, and Regulus would be in his final year. He made his way to Diagon Alley by night bus to the Leaky Cauldron and to Borgin and Burke's.

Over the next couple of months, he did extensive research going on the information he had ordered Kreacher to tell him the day after he came home. Slytherin's locket was a key into it. He had a replica of the locket as he had been apart of Slytherin, and almost every one of the students had been given one by the head of house, Professor Slughorn. He came across a word in one of the books in the restricted section; _Horcrux_.

He spent his Hogsmead trips going through the library of books there in the different stores until he finally found one, released only a couple years from then and he learned of them. He figured that must have been what it was. He was proud of himself, he figured out the Dark Lord's secret. He took the book and went back to Hogwarts.

When Christmas vacation came around, Regulus hadn't seen or heard anything from Mirach, who he had known since birth, considering their birthday's were only days apart, and had grown up with each other. Their parents had talked about the two to get married, but that wasn't going to be happening. Her family was dead minus the muggle lover Corvus and herself, who had escaped months before.

When he awoke Christmas morning a small parcel was perched on the end of his bed. The bright green wrapping matched the banners that dangled on his walls. He sat up and took the parcel in his hands, looking at it. An envelope fell off the back onto his lap, the thin, spaced writing gave away who it was immediately. The way his name _Regulus_was written at a diagonal from corner to corner. He let a small smile appear as he opened the envelope, normal muggle paper slipped out of it.

She must be living with muggles, Regulus thought to himself as he unfolded the paper, her thin writing appearing there as well. As he read the letter, her voice was in his head, as if she was reading it to him.

_Regulus,  
Happy Christmas! I hope that this can make up for all the months I've missed. As you can tell, I'm around muggles, using their things. It's horrid, you can't imagine. I have to watch the magic I use because I know __**he **__is watching the magic uses through the magic enforcement office in the ministry. I'm closer than you think though, much closer. I personally delivered this, really, you should start locking the front door. Well, muggle paper doesn't have a lot of room. I found this in the muggle world, and I was astonished. Enjoy it please.  
__Miss you much,  
__Mirach Heartnet_

He folded the paper back up and slipped it into the envelope, placing it next to him as he fingered the parcel open, a small box sliding out. He opened the black box and inside was a silver ring with a large emblem on the top, the Black family crest. He pulled the ring out and looked at it, on the inside it had the family crest saying, _Toujours Purs_.

He looked at it before slipping it onto his hand and stuffing the papers and box under his bed as a knock came onto his door. "It's open..." He said standing up from his bed and searching for some day clothes. His mother came in a looked at him grimly. "What's wrong?" He asked, masking his worry and confusion.

"Have you see the Daily Prophet today?" His mother asked him as she walked over with the paper in her hand. She handed it to him, "Front page news..."

**Christmas Killing:  
The Dark Mark in the Air.**

_Early this morning, pure-blood and Dark Lord supporter Mirach Heartnet was found in a park in central London. There were no witnesses, but the dark mark hit the sky around four thirty that morning, as estimated by the investigators. There were fatal cuts on Heartnet, other than the assumed killing curse used upon her. Investigators say that some of the wounds were self-inflicted, while others were deeper, and fresher._

_As reported in August of this year, Heartnet was accused of killing her parents on the Dark Lord's order before running away into hiding. Corvus Heartnet, the remaining of a long line of Heartnet's, was questioned this morning on his sisters actions. He denied any accusations of her being with the Dark Lord, saying that she never joined. Although the Dark Mark was not present on Heartnet's body at the time, some suspect that it disappeared at her death._

_Investigation continues through the day on Heartnet's body, through muggle means and by our own means. You will be kept updated on Heartnet's case until all is figured out._

Regulus' eye twitched as he read over the article a couple more times, her face stared at him curiously in the picture they had. It's non-smiling face was matching his as his hand tightened on the paper, his teeth grinding together as he held in the anger that surrounded him. He handed the daily prophet back to his mother.

"I'm sorry dear." His mother said with a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "Come down to breakfast though..." He did as his mother told him, his mind trying to comprehend what he had read still.

It wasn't until that night when he knew what to do. He was disturbed and it was clearly written over his face as he grabbed the replica locket and stuffed it into his pocket, the letter, the last letter she had written, was next to the locket. Inside the locket was a letter he had written, his hand writing a little shaky as he quickly folded it and placed it into the locket. He made his way carefully down the stairs, feeling himself go numb as he reached the kitchen. "Kreacher..." He called softly as he opened the cupboard.

"Master Regulus?" Kreacher croaked, waking up quickly.

"Can you take me to that cave? The cave that the Dark Lord took you too..." Regulus asked Kreacher. Kreacher began to speak against it, it was not an order, but a question, which meant he was not forced to do it. "Take me to the cave." Regulus hissed and Kreacher looked taken back, but did as he was told.

Kreacher apparated them to the cave, and walked around to where the sacrificing of blood was needed to be made. Kreacher was about to give it when Regulus stopped him and pulled out a small pocket knife Sirius had gotten him years back in his third year. He dug it into his hand, biting his lip to hold in the pain as the blood poured over the rocks. They cleared a way and Kreacher led his master down to the shore, and along the path, reaching out for the chain to come along.

Regulus watched, his hand already wrapped up with a magical bandage as the boat appeared and he helped Kreacher pull it to shore. "_Lumos_." He said his wand tip lighting as they climbed into the tiny green boat, only big enough for one wizard and their _victim_. When the boat touched to the island, Regulus climbed out of the boat and onto the island. He could remember clearly what Kreacher had told him.

Poison that would not kill the person but enable them to do anything, wanting to die, wanting water. He took the basin in, looking at it with disgust but pulled out the locket and handed it to Kreacher, "Take this, and when the basin is empty, switch the lockets." Regulus told Kreacher, "Once you have switched the lockets, you are to leave without me. You are to go home, and never tell anyone, especially my mum, what I've done." He paused, knowing there was no longer any way to turn back now. "Kreacher, you must destroy the locket that is in here now. The one that you will take when you switch the lockets. Destroy it."

"M-master Regulus..." Kreacher croaked his eyes watching his master as he summoned a cup for himself.

"Make sure I drink it all so that you can get the locket!" Regulus told Kreacher quickly before he filled the cup with the poison, "Do not let me tell you any differently, Kreacher. You must make me drink it all, even if I don't want to. Or else it would all be in vain." Her face flashed through his mind, her purple eyes shooting in all the different directions when she was nervous or under the pressure of answering a question from a professor.

He brought the cup to his lips and drank. He cringed but forced himself to continue to drink the poison. He slipped down onto his knees, choking on the poison, holding his throat, the cup layed empty next to him, the basin not even half empty. "M-Master..." Kreacher sobbed watching his master let out yells and screams of pain, unbearable pain as his insides felt like they were burning.

Regulus grabbed the cup after fighting through the screams of himself that echoed back at him. He forced himself to get level with the basin and fill the cup again, forcing himself to drink it. "No more..." Regulus said panting, still in pain. "No more..."

"Master, you must." Kreacher said grabbing the cup, "You ordered me too..." He began to sob as he filled the cup up with the poison and forced it into his masters hand. "M-master Regulus..." He brought the last cup as Regulus tried to fight off Kreacher and the poison. "This is the last one..." Kreacher told Regulus. "The last one..."

Regulus drank it and threw the cup, it shattering against the rocks and trickled down into the water. That was set off the water, they knew it was not the real master of the locket that was there. Bodies began to climb up, "Do it, Kreacher... swap the lockets!" Regulus pulled himself up, pain trying to overtake him as the lockets were switched. He pointed his wand at the basin, and flicked it, the basin refilling with the poison as the dead bodies, _inferi_, he remembered reading about them, pulled him into the water, his wand slipping from his hand as he watched the horrid look on Kreacher's face disappear through the water.

The inferi covered him, and all he knew was darkness before feeling nothingness. He was dead. Died trying to take down the Dark Lord. It was nothingness, darkness, and the only thing left was for Kreacher to destroy the locket.

He was in the darkness for a long time before there was a light, was it the light that took him to heaven or hell? He tried to move but he was dead. He was unable to move as the light grew closer. "_Regulus..._" A voice came before the dark hair and purple eyes appeared, "_So brave, so noble..._"

"_Mirach_?" Regulus said as he felt himself free to move. The girl nodded, "_But I thought you... So I am then, aren't I?_" She nodded in answer. There was nothing more to say as she put her hand out and he took it. She pulled him and the two disappeared into the light.

Kreacher had returned home in the early hours before anybody was awake. He could not sleep as he held the locket in his hands, Master Regulus' locket. He would begin to destroy it when he could. Hours later, there was a loud scream coming from the top most landing.

Walburga Black fell onto Regulus' empty bed, tears coming from her eyes. She had felt that there was something wrong with Regulus the day before, ever since she had showed him the newspaper article on Mirach Heartnet's death. She wept for days, hardly ever leaving her son's room. Kreacher fought away his tears as he spent countless hours attempting to destroy the locket.

Nothing worked, all was hopeless. He could not fail his Masters mission in vain. He could not tell the mourning Black family what happened. He could not tell his Mistress, and it hurt him. Rumors had gone around that the Dark Lord killed him when he got cold feet. Others said that after Mirach Heartnet's death he committed suicide. Nobody knew Regulus well enough to ever have guess he would go against the Dark Lord. They thought all Slytherin's were the same. Cowards, and dying.

Nobody would know the truth for about twenty years, and by them, he had hoped that the Dark Lord would be gone, and dead. He did not wish that his death would be in vain. Months after Regulus Arturus Black's death, his father passed away, leaving his mother with the house elf. Years would go by, his mother would pass on, and his elder brother would return in hiding when he escaped Azkaban.

His Godson, Harry Potter would come, and he would be the one that would take down Voldemort, the Dark Lord. Twenty years later, and it was never to late for the Dark Lord to fall. Never to late.


End file.
